After the DREAM Act’s recent re-introduction, Rubio told Spanish-language media — Telemundo and La Opinion — that he will not support this bill, which offers a path to legalizing youth who go to college or serve in the U.S. military for two years. What a difference from his predecessor, Sen. Mel Martinez, who co-sponsored the DREAM Act in 2007.

How can a politician from a diverse state such as Florida deny his support to such common-sense piece of legislation? In fact, this bill was originally co-authored by Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch and is overwhelmingly supported by millions of Latinos.

The same week that Rubio slammed the door on supporting the DREAM Act, his “Latino issue” focused on blocking Environmental Protection Act rules on turf grass in construction, arguing that Latino landscapers depend on it. This is how Rubio will turn Latinos into reliable Republican voters? To hundreds of thousands of students like me, who want to contribute to this country and serve in the military, he tells us “No” on the DREAM Act — but don’t worry, Rubio has our backs on turf grass.

Rubio also told CBS News that “immigration is an important issue, (but) I’m not sure if it’s important right now.” The truth is, Latinos won’t be fooled; they will not buy broken-record excuses. We understand how the immigration debate is being manipulated with rhetoric that focuses on enforcement, rendering any constructive solution an unreachable moving target.

Meanwhile, if the GOP prefers to limit Rubio’s “rock star” status to tea party rallies where anti-immigrant rhetoric is rampant and to erode his already-questionable credibility within the Latino community, supporting turf grass, and slamming the door on DREAMers is a good strategy.